Simple Stress Reliever

A Simple Lesson on Stress

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading a stress management workshop. In her hand was a raised glass of water. The attendees all suspected that she was going to ask the question “Is this glass half empty or half full?” They were all surprised when instead she asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Various people called out answers from the audience, the guesses ranging from “8 ounces” to “20 ounces.”

The young lady replied, “Actually the absolute weight does not matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute it is not a problem. If I hold it for an hour I will have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day my arm will probably need medical attention. In each case the glass has the same weight but the longer I hold it the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “That is the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we will not be able to carry on.”

“As with the glass of water, stress has to be put down for a while and we have to rest before carrying it again. When we are refreshed we can more easily carry our burdens.”

She gave the following advice: “Every evening as early as you can manage to do it lay your stress and all your burdens to rest. Do not carry them throughout the evening and into the night. They will still be there tomorrow if you want to pick them up again.”